2014 Singletrack 6 - Day 3 Recap

The start of the Santa Cruz Stage 3 saw the field line up just west of the town of Invermere. The first two-thirds of the stage featured a circuit on Crown Land and Burnout, a trail that, before today, was a well kept secret among locals. This loop has a little bit of everything with flowy descents, creek crossings, dense forest with narrow singletrack and, of course, amazing views of the Columbia Valley.

Ripping it on Burn Out

A 10k warm up through nearby forest brought the riders to Checkpoint 1 at Lake Lillian and the beginning of Burnout. A climb to the canyon rim above Horsethief Creek led to a series of fast descents and short upward efforts spanning some 6km. Totally exposed under blue skies and, with the temperature rising, riders made a dash for the village of Wilmer and Checkpoint 2.

A climb out of Wilmer would have brought the riders to the Johnson and Kloosifier trail networks. Unfortunately, the lead pack became the victims of course sabotage when a local resident removed course markings moments before the riders came through. As a result, this group went off course and, unable to find the correct trail, made their way back to the finish line. The top eight riders crossed the line together as a group and were all assigned the same time of 2:15:09 for the stage.

The course sabotage affected several other riders before the quick action of the course crew replaced the markings, but all returned safely in short order to the finish line. The finish order for some categories was likely affected in the stage results, but General Classification standings were not affected. Organizers opted to let the finish times stand for the stage given that the majority of the field was unaffected.

Flowing High Above the Hoodoos

With the riders back on track, the last 15km of the day would be on almost 100% singletrack featuring rips along Tobey Creek Canyon on the Kloosifier trail and a connector to the Johnson. Winding through the forest, the field sped out to, and along, the canyon rim one last time before working their way into the finish. Fortunately, this hot day in the saddle ended with a dip in local Lake Lillian.

Post Race Dip in Lake Lillian

Special thanks to the Columbia Valley Cycling Society for welcoming us to their trails, expert course design, trail preparation and for a great post race BBQ!

Next up? The Smith Optics Stage 4 in the mountain bike crazy town of Golden, British Columbia. The Mtn. Shadows network will be your home for the day with 30k of riding and 1400 metres of elevation gain.

Be sure to visit singletrack6.com daily for reports, results, photos and video from the race.